Packaging playing-cards, &amp;c.



W. H. DOUGHBRTY. IGKAGING PLAYING CARDS, 6w,

ArPLIoATIoN runnpowl-v, 190s.

911,647. Pat ntedFeb.9,1909.

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1 Inventor 1 by W UF QE' WILLIAM H. nouennarr; or NEW YORK, N. Y.

PACKAGING rLAYr e-cmans, 850.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application filed October 7, 1908. Serial No;456,664=.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. DOUGH- nnrz, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the borough of Brooklyn of the city of New York, inthe State of New,York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Packaging Playing-Cards,-

&c., of which the following is a specifica-' tion, reference being hadtothe accompanylng drawing, forming a part thereof;

Under the provis ons of the internal revenue law each package of playingcards,

when sold, must hear an unbroken revenue stamp which seals the package.If the law is strictly enforced it is therefore impossible for aprospective purchaser of a pack of playing cards to assure himself as tothe quality of the cards by removing the cards from the box or wrapper'for purposes of examination. Moreover, even if the law is not strictlyobeyed and the prospective purchaser is allowed to make such examinationof cards offered for'sale as requires a removal of the pack from the boxor wrapper, the subsequent prospective purchaser is often deterred fromthe purchase of a pack of cards on which the revenue stamp has beenbroken by the knowledge thus obtained that the quality of the cards wasnot satisfactory to some previous examiner or by the belief that anattempt is being made by the seller to work off a pack of cards whichhas been used. It is, therefore, desirable to enable a prospectivepurchaser to assure himself as to the quality of a pack of cards withoutrequiring the revenue stamp to be broken. An attempt has been madeheretofore to accomplish this result by providing in one face of thecarton, box or wrapper a flap which is supposed to sufficientlyprotectthe adjacent card of the pack while the pack is on the shelf, butcan be lifted to permit the purchaser to see the back of the card andalso to feel the surface of the card. An examination as to the qualityof playing cards by seeing and feeling the surface of a card does not,however, give the purchaser suflicient assurance as to the quality ofcards, which assurance can be secured only by actually fingering a cardof the pack. This result is accomplished, in accordance with the presentinvention, by forming in one face of the carton, box or wrapper, betweenthe ends or sides of such face, a slit which extends entirely acrosssuch face, in one direction or the other, so as to permit a sample cardto be inserted part way within the carton, box or wrapper, its positionconforming to the position of the pack within the wrapper. Such samplecard can be withdrawn for purposes of close examination by thepurchaser, not only as to appearance and surface but as to texture, yet

the pack is undisturbed and the revenue stamp remains unbroken.

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference tothe accompanying drawing in which it is illustrated and in which,

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a carton, box or wrapper for a packof playing cards showing the slit but with the sample removed. Fig. 2 isa similar view but showing the sample card inserted in the slit. Fig. 3is a view in section on the plane indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The carton, box or wrapper may be made of cardboard, paper or othersuitable material and may be made in any suitable manner. It is usuallyprovided at one end with an ungummed flap Z2 and is sealed by theapplication of a revenue stamp, applied as indicated at 0, across theflap Z2, but any other suitable construction may be adopted which willpermit of the sealing of the package, including the cards, in suchmanner that the cards cannot be removed without breaking the revenuestamp. In one face, as at OZ, of the carton, box or wrapper, is formed aslit 6, which extends entirely across such face. The slit is located atany convenient point between the sides or ends,but at a sufficientdistance from the adjacent side or end to prevent the removal throughthe slit of any card of the pack. It is obviously immaterial, except asa matter of convenience in manufacture and in handling, whether the slitbe'made to run lengthwise or crosswise of the face. The package of cardshaving been made up with its inclosure provided with the slit asdescribed and sealed by the application of the revenue stamp, asexplained, a sample card f, corresponding in color and quality, as wellas in size, to the cards of the pack, is slipped .into the slit, thusleaving a portion of the sample card exposed while another portion iscovered by the face of the carton, box or wrapper. This sample card maybe withdrawn at any time to enable the purchaser to examine its qualitycarefully, as by fingering the card in the usual manner, and thenrestored to its place, without at any time requiring the revenue stampto be broken. The purchaser is thus enabled to assure himself as to thequality of the cards while the revenue law is strictly complied with andsubsequent purchasers are assured, by the unbroken revenue stamp, thatthe pack has not been used previously nor rejected by some priorprospective purchaser.

I claim as my invention:

1. A package of playing or similar cards comprising a plurality ofcards; a wrapper inclosing said cards and sealed, so that in removingthe cards from the wrapper in the manner contemplated the seal will bebroken, and provided with a slit extending across the surface of saidinclosed cards; and a sample card held within said slit and extending tothe exterior of the package, the character of the slit being such thatthe sample card nay be withdrawn therefrom and from the package, whilethe cards inclosed by the Wrapper may not be removed tl'ierethrough.

2. A package of playing or similar cards comprising a plurality ofcards; wrapper inclosing said cards and sealed, so that in removing thecards from the wrapper in the manner contemplated the seal will bebroken, and provided with a slit extending across the surface of saidinclosed cards; and a sample card held within said slit and extending tothe exterior of the package, the slit bei of sullieient length to permitthe withdrawal i'herethrongh of said sample card from the package, andthe location thereof being such that the cards inelosed by the wappermay not be removed there through.

3. iii package of playing or similar cards comprising a plurality olcards; a wrapper inclosing said cards and sealed, so ii at in removingthe cards from the wrapper in the manner eontempladd the seal will bebroken, and provided with a slit ei-itending across the surface of saidinclosed cards: and a sample card held within said slit and extending tothe exterior ol the package, said slit extending transversely oi thepackage and the ends thereof terminating adjacentthe sides Oil thepackage and o[ the inclosed cards, and the location thereo'l beingmedial with respect to the inelosed cards This specification signed andwitnessed this 5th day of October, A, l)., 1903.

VII; HAM H. DOUtllIlfilliY. Signed in the presence ofllliLLt-nr l5.Gnnnnnr, rurenosn L. Otinna.

